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Program Coordinator’sCorner We're Coming Baaaacccckkkkkkk! people who were cancelled last year and asking them if they would give their presentations this Now that we are in Phase 3, more options for Mas- year. ter Gardener events are opening up. We will how- The difference with these classes is that MGs will ever, continue to do all events following all safety need to contact Diana and then Angela to confirm precautions. their spot in the class as we are giving priority to Last year all Demonstration Garden & Heirloom individuals who have not taken advantage of the Garden classes, as well as 2 Spring Symposium many CE offerings through Zoom links and the Interns who need to complete their second year re- classes, for the public had to be cancelled - which left a big gap in our CE options. Currently we are quirements. WSU is clear there will be no amnesty offering Demonstration Garden classes to MG's for the 10 minimum CE hours. So, watch for only. We kicked it off with a "How to Prune emails with more details to come. Grapes" mini-talk & handout by Claudia and a demonstration by her hubby Chuck Fiola (Vigneron) on how to prune the table grapes that are in the garden. Currently WSU allows 15 participants to gather and we had a total of 12 MGs who braved the chilly winds on Saturday March 20th at 10 am. It was quite the tangled mess, but by the time all of us finished it looked great. Thank you to all who helped. After finishing, Claudia & Chuck shared their Monukka table grape cuttings and Claudia sent her full power point (in pdf) on Grow- ing Table Grapes to all participants. More details will be coming by email on future classes: Diana is working on one on rose pruning and care of garden tools. And Angela is contacting

Hands-on learning with the Demonstration Garden grapes. Photos courtesy of Claudia Steen. Demonstration Garden Photos from our demonstration garden that is wak- ing up, but with a good covering of leaves which we are slowly removing...love the combination of conifers for their colors and shapes, the sweet little crocus that look like orchids, winter daphne in its glory, and, of course, our tiny blue/purple Iris Re- ticulata. Come see these for yourself every Wednesday morning starting at eight. ~Diana Pieti

Demonstration Garden photos courtesy of Diana Pieti.

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” ~Margaret Atwood “Pink Dawn” Viburnum Spring Snowflake/Leucojum Bernom A Few Weeks Later...in the

Demonstration Garden Photos submitted by Angela Galbreath

Daffodils! Hellebore/Lenten Rose The Right to Garden…Who Says? By Phyllis Pugnetti

The Right to Garden Act in Illinois recently passed the house and is currently waiting for a senate vote. At first glance, the right to garden seems like a good thing, but a review of the details may lead to a different opinion. The first part of the bill says that state and local government may not infringe upon the right of a residential property owner to maintain a garden for one’s own consumption. The intention may have been to limit us- ing residential land for commercial agriculture. Howev- er, the bill makes it illegal to share, give, or donate anything from a home garden (including food, seeds, flowers, ornamentals, herbs, bulbs, cuttings, root divisions plants, etc). Buried deeper into the bill, it goes on to say that state and local government may limit through statute, regulation, or other restrictions—water use; property set-backs; maximum lot coverage; utility safety; control of invasive species; the use of fertilizer, herbi- cide, and pesticide, etc., which contradicts the part about government not infringing upon the right to garden.

So it seems that the Right to Garden Act would actually empower state and local government to make the final decision about all things growing on residential property in Illinois. This seems a little like Venezuela where produce from home gardens is confiscated and the gardens are destroyed. And we don’t even need to look that far from home. It calls to mind the Pennsylvania anti bio-terrorism law of 2010, that resulted in SWAT teams confiscating and destroying seeds from seed libraries across their state. The law was later changed, but the damage was already done. When it comes to the law and politics, the devil really is in the details. This appears to be a bill worth watching.

Help Wanted...in the Greenhouse! Please join the Annuals team Tuesday All hands on deck! One month to go before morning, 8-11, come when you can, stay the plant sale, and your help is needed Mon- as long as you are able. There are the last day 4/5 between 8-11. The perennial team has of the plugs to transplant, and as always everything planted, but our babies need labels grooming to do. and help with hair and makeup. Bring your The plants are flourishing! Thanks to all own sharp snips and give some perennials who have helped, from filling pots to put- some last minute grooming. You’ll have plen- ting plants in pots. You are appreciated. ty of ventilated space, and there are tables outside to work on, if you prefer. Hoping to see you then!

Master Gardening Mission Statement: “Engaging university-trained volunteers to empower and sustain communites with relevant, unbiased, researched-based hortculture and environmental stewardship educaton.”

WSU Extension programs and employment are available to all without discriminaton. Evidence of non- compliance may be reported through your local WSU Extension Ofce. Mason Bee Delight them aside. As I worked, I noticed some movement By Deb Mathieu

Several years ago I purchased a Mason Bee house and some full tubes of cocoons to put in my garden. Fac- ing the east on a fence I rarely see, I didn’t think much more about it until I took the recent online WSU-EDU class on Mason Bee harvesting. In order to avoid parasitic damage to Mason Bees, you can harvest cocoons in the fall and hold them until shortly before budding in the spring. Since I had never done this, but wondered what was in my ne- glected Mason Bee house, I decided to investi- gate. What could it hurt? I was in for a delightful surprise. My Mason Bee on the tray. Black something emerging. As I watched, house is a synthetic pressed tray which easily opened a Mason Bee pushed its way out. I covered it with a onto my awaiting newspaper under a lighted magnifi- little plastic cup, onto which it crawled, and took it er. (Though I had added some paper tubes, they had outside. When I got back and sat down, resuming not been used). It seemed I had some of everything cleaning, I heard some little scratching sounds coming the presenter had talked about: leaf cutter tubes, larvae from the area where I had set aside cocoons. Yep, of who knows what, pollen pockets that had been in- they were moving, and sure enough, another Mason vaded by mites, and poop-covered cocoons of the cov- Bee emerged. Wow! eted Mason Bees, neatly divided by mud walls. So I Mason Bees will emerge when days are consistently carefully picked up the cocoons and cleaned off all above 55 degrees. Apparently, bringing them in under the little black specks of poop, as she had instructed, the light had stimulated them to emerge right before and inspected them under the magnifying glass. There my eyes. But since I didn’t want Mason Bees in my were a few cocoons that had holes in them with the house, nor were my garden plants budding enough, I parasitic result of no viable Mason Bee. But quite a quickly paper bagged the remaining cocoons and put few looked “good” to my uneducated eye, so I set them in my fridge. Coincidentally, I had ordered some Mason Bee cocoons that were in a small box in my refrigerator (instructions are to put the box into the fridge` before opening, to make them dormant, until you want to put them outside). So I compared cocoons. My harvested cocoons look exactly like the cocoons I had purchased. Yea! So I am cleaning my trays with bleach water to put back out for new Mason Bee housing. And soon I will put my cocoons out, protected from my husband’s bird feeders, so my emerging buds will have lots of pollination. With a new appreciation of Mason Bee care, I look forward to harvesting cocoons this fall.

3rd Column: Leaf cutter tube 4th Column: Pollen, I assume parasitized, on end and 4 viable Mason Bee cocoons, covered in poop, separated by mud walls. What’s Wrong With My Cucumbers? They don’t like their roots to sit in puddles. They don’t By Phyllis Pugnetti like to be crowded, or to compete with weeds. Cucum- bers benefit from mulch to retain moisture and moder- Do you wonder why some years your cucumbers have ate soil temperatures. The best fruit set and highest low yields but you’re not quite sure what you did yields happen when the soil and air temperatures are wrong? It might not be you. It could be the ‘dating between 60° and 85°. Cucumbers want everything to and mating habits’ of cucumbers that are causing the be ideal—anything less and show you just how miser- problem. The most common type of cucumbers are able they are with lower yields. monoecious and are mostly very old varieties that Besides the common monoecious type cucumbers, have been around for a very long time. Like most cu- there are two fairly new types that were originally curbitas, monoecious cucumbers have both male and bred for commercial uses but are beginning to make female blossoms on the same plant. The first blossoms their way into home gardens. Gynoecious varieties in the spring are mostly male, but given a couple of produce blossoms that are 90% female. They need a weeks the ratio of male to female blossoms will be few monoecious plants growing nearby to provide almost equal. For good fruit production, male and female blossoms for pollen. The high number of female male blossoms must be open and ready for pollination blossoms result in excellent yields. Parthenocarpic at the same time. The blooms open in the morning just cucumbers do not need any male pollen to set as pollinators are arriving in the garden. There is only fruit. They produce high yields of seedless (or nearly a 12 hour window of time until the pollen is no longer seedless) fruits. Seeds for parthenocarpic cucumbers viable. Think of it this way… a typical ‘date’ for a cu- are the result of multiple hybrid crosses to get seeds cumber is getting together in the morning for coffee, that will produce seedless fruits. Parthenocarpic varie- NOT dinner and a movie in the evening. Pollinator ties cannot be grown near monoecious varieties as visits are imperative because cucumber pollen is so cross pollination will occur resulting in seeded sticky that it doesn’t blow around on the wind. You fruits. You cannot save seeds from either gynoecious can encourage more pollinator visits (and higher or parthenocarpic varieties as the seeds will be hybrid yields) by planting blooming flowers among your cu- and are usually sterile. cumbers. Cucumber blossoms are also sensitive to environmental factors which may reduce fruit set. Insect Source: Seminis Agronomic Spotlight damage, low light, and overcrowding causes stress that results in fewer female blossoms. Temperatures above 86° results in more male blossoms, but below 60° results in more female blooms. Like many heat loving crops, cucumbers want ideal conditions. When conditions are less than perfect, they’ll survive but will also let you know just how miserable they are. Summer Garden Classes All cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) grow best and achieve the highest yields when they are grown in May 8: Planting Containers/Diana Pieti and Angela loose fertile soil, with consistently even moisture. Galbreath May 22: ??? June 12: Raised Bed Gardening/Claudia Steen June 26: Worm Composting/Beatrice Reiss July 10: ??? July 24: Deadheading Flowers/Angela Galbreath August 14: ??? August 28: ??? Sept 11: Planning Now for Seed Starting/Sarah Judd Sept 25: Shrubs and Trees for Screening/Ken Tolonen **Have an idea for a class?? Willing to teach a class?? Contact Angela (509)930-7798 Male blossoms attach to the stem. Female blossoms have an ovary between the blossom and stem. Gardeners At Home

Dee Adams shares photos of winter jasmine and pussy willow from her garden. Early signs of spring!

Reminder! Foundaton Meetng via Zoom Wednesday, April 7th @ 10:30 am.

Floribunda: Annual Vines by Carol Barany Few other plants add more romance and lushness to a Cardinal Creeper (Ipomoea multifida). Besides garden as quickly as annual flowering vines. If you blooms, both offer attractive ferny foliage. Introduced have a new landscape without mature trees, it won’t in 1806, both are well-loved by my garden club for take long for vines to cascade over an arbor or trellis, their ability to attract hummingbirds. giving the impression that your garden has been there The Spanish Flag (Ipomoea lobata), another member of forever. You can use trellised vines to provide a green the morning glory family, has arching sprays of tubular screen, creating an oasis of privacy. Do you have a flowers that soften from crimson to butter-yellow. In view you don’t like, such as your neighbor’s garage, or moist, fertile soil, this 1841 introduction will grow as even your compost pile? Chances are you can cover it much as 20 feet in full sun to part shade. up with a few fast-growing vines. And if you find yourself running out of horizontal space, “just grow A vine related to the nasturtium that can do with less up”. There’s usually room to shoe-horn in a vertical sun is the Canary Vine (Trapaeolum peregrinum). It vine. climbs on strings or fine trelliswork to a height of 8-12' and produces bright yellow, edible blooms. This plant Since it's hard for growers to keep rapidly growing has been cottage garden favorite in the United States as vines from getting tangled with other plants, you’re not far back as the mid-19th century. likely to find them at nurseries. My friend Nancy has a way with seeds, and each spring, she grows more vines A single Purple Hyacinth Bean (Dolichos lablab) ram- than she needs herself, and shares the rest. The ones we bled 20’ up the rope attached to the flagpole in my love the most seem to be the heirloom varieties that front yard. Along the way, sprays of amethyst and vio- have embellished gardens for generations. They re- let blossoms on long purple stems bloomed throughout quire no policing, like overly rambunctious wisterias the summer. When the flowers fade, one catalog de- and trumpet vines. Like all annuals, they’ll require re- scribes the seed pods that form as “cut from shiny pur- planting each spring, so be sure to save some seeds. ple patent-leather”. Plants were introduced from Egypt in 1818 and thrive in Yakima’s heat. Darwin observed that the stem tip of a twining vine actually moves in all directions, searching for a support Cup and Saucer Vine (Cobaea scandens), was intro- to twist itself around (circumnatation), and that a par- duced in 1792, but I didn’t meet it until last summer, ticular species of vine will always twine in the same and I’m sorry it took so long. A single plant covered a direction (usually clockwise), no matter where or how wire arbor in my cutting garden in a just a few months. it’s being grown. Though twiners will rest side shoots Flowers start out as vintage green, papery buds, and on nearby horizontal branches, their growth is sky- open to reveal green bell-shaped flowers. The color ward, requiring vertical support. morphs again to deep purple. These flowers, as well as stems of violet foliage and tendrils, are amazing in Other vines use tendrils, thin and flexible leafless bouquets. Blooming starts in late summer and contin- stems that also reach around in the air until they come ues until a hard freeze. in to contact with something to grab. Contact with a stake or branch stimulates growth on the other side of Nancy sows seeds indoors, on heat mats and under the tendril, creating the familiar coil that allows the lights, 6-8 weeks before our last frost. However, all of plant to pull itself onto the support. these heirlooms can be directly sown in the garden. Wait until the soil is warm enough to plant toma- Vines that attach by tendrils or by twining need some- toes. thing slender to cling to. If the support is too thick, the vine will simply attach to its own stems, growing into a tangled mess. These vines are excellent choices for latticework sup- ports such as chain-link fences and lath trellises: Fragrant Moonflower Vine (Ipomoea alba) can grow 10-12 feet in a season. Unlike other morning glories, these huge white, fragrant flowers open only at night, drawing pollinator moths. Listed in catalogs since Newsleter submissions are due on the 25th of 1884, Moonflowers need full sun, and average well- drained soil. each month. Please send them to Julie Hunziker at [email protected]. Textng photos and Two red-flowered relatives, growing 10-20 feet in a brief descriptons is fne, as well. (530)209-4329 season, are Cypress Vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) and March Madness…Mastering the Gardener By Mary Vaananen|March 27, 2021 Republished with permission from the author. Originally published at https://gardenrant.com/

It is the middle of March. I stand looking at the back gar- zone if you like. We are out of our minds for a while. den, which turns 24 years old this August. The Hellebores In this zone, there were no fears of not being able to man- are blooming up a storm of color. Fragrant Edgeworthia is age…. of where the energy was coming from. No worry wafting its sweet scent to call me into the garden. But I just that I would somehow fail in cultivating this beautiful little stand and look. I don’t move. garden nook. Just gardening happening. The garden needed There is a time as spring approaches that I am filled with pit tending and so it was. The required movement happened. -of-the-stomach angst anticipating that I will not be able to What do I mean by “the gardening“? Well, you can’t have take care of this garden. It is too much. Pollarding, cutting one without the other….a garden with no gardener, a gar- back, removing, digging, dividing, and hauling the “yard dener with no garden. They come into being together. You waste” to await pickup. So much needs to be done. I do not can expand that out to soil, air, rain, insects, fungi. The gar- know where that energy is going to come from. Then the dening is a synergistic happening. mind leaps to summer (piling on) when the biting insects reign and the growth feels at times overwhelming. What The gardening worked its magic. The time out-of-mind have I done? eased the March Madness and I can breathe again. All of the mind-play circling around the idea of myself as Recently, I approached the garden several times this way a competent gardener (one of the million stories I tell my- only to stop and feel overwhelmed. I sat down on the back self about myself) faded away. Mind-play is our human lot. porch and just looked out at ALL OF IT. Fretting and pon- dering. I have learned much about life from the gardening. Much like marriage, what starts in earnest enthusiasm goes Wild nature does not NEED in the same way a deliberately through many stages, some more trying than others. It is a planted garden does. We collect diverse plants and set them kind of madness–this LONGTERM commitment to some- together in sometimes impossible settings. Our intent is to thing so uncontrollable, undertaken with little make a beautiful and unusual vignette for our pleasure. thought to the complexity of the situation. To the Sometimes we take our identity from the cleverness and tough times of drought or flooding or myriad oth- ingenuity of what we have created. We are MASTER GAR- er major and minor tragedies. And to the aging gar- DENERS. dener’s abilities in the decades ahead–the spring-chicken But honey, these intricate collections need tending because sixties, skillful seventies, creative eighties, (and fingers they ain’t where their mama dropped them, and you’re their crossed) the nimble-ish nineties. You probably won’t sur- mama now. You have made your bed. Master this. vive. We are expected to have some kind of mastery—at least In the blink of an eye, 24 years later, I stand at the edge of over ourselves. Tell this to your aging body and mind. We the back porch looking out at the beauty that lives within have been set up to fail. Meanwhile, the work ethic we in- my reach. There are piles of trimmings everywhere. Just herited hums in our synapses reminding us over and over after a rain, the colors are rich and the air is sweet and that we need to be self-sufficient, that it shows our worth. earthy. My heart opens up and I can hardly believe that this Society values the competent. Survival of the fittest. Heav- grace is ME…. the ME that is inextricably part of the move- en forbid you falter or lose your way. Does the garden ex- ment, part of the gardening. It doesn’t get any better. pect this of us too? In retrospect, the gardening has shown me my humble I shook my head at those aging friends who decided to place in the process. Every gardener should know that the downsize and simplify their gardens. At the time I couldn’t movement is the true MASTER. fathom it. Fast forward to now and the thought of simplifi- The garden awakens slowly, taking its cue from the invisi- cation seems reasonable and even smart, eliciting a big in- ble momentum. So does the gardener. It happens in its own ternal sigh of relief. Really? Is it time to throw in the time. It can only be this way. gloves? Or better, how to gracefully and fearlessly embrace a new phase of gardening as I age? Internal sighs are to be Why was I worried? heeded and the gardening can be of service. Mary Vaananen lives and gardens in Louisville, KY. She is I stepped back into the garden on a gray, overcast day. the North American manager for Jelitto Perennial Seeds, headquartered in Germany. Without noticing I bent over and began trimming old Epimedium leaves. Doo dee doo….dah dee dah. Then I had the strangest feeling that the garden was gardening itself. We were one movement. There was no boundary between me and the garden. As I cut back and tidied, Mary was gone yet gardening was happening. It was clear. But to who? Madness? We all have gotten lost in the gardening. Call it being in the April 2021

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 Hanging Veggie Team Basket Team 9-11 9-11 Art Team Herbs Team 9-11:30 8-11

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Perennials Annuals Foundaton Hanging Veggie Team Rose Pruning Team Team 8-11 Meetng via Basket Team 9-11 Class@ Demo 8-11 Zoom 10:30 9-11 Garden 10 am Herbs Team Art Team 8-11 9-11:30

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Perennials Annuals Hanging Veggie Team Team Team 8-11 Basket Team 9-11 8-11 9-11 Herbs Team Art Team 8-11 9-11:30

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